Sports AQ
One writer thinks sport has considerable value while the other questions this view. How important is
sport for you and your society, and how far do you agree or disagree with the opinions expressed in
these 2 passages?
Kate Robb extols the benefits of sports by sharing how it builds important character traits and
increases nationalistic sentiments in people. Alfred Benjamin argues that sports has diminishing
value with the prevalence of doping and elite sports. While Robbs is true in claiming that sports
builds values, her views are too narrow and do not consider the toxic competitive culture of elite
sports. Hence I largely agree with Benjamin as his views are more nuanced and applicable.
In Passage 1 paragraph 4, Robb inflates the value of sports by likening it to a theatric performance.
She describes it as ‘moments of transcendent beauty’ where athletes ‘exhibit the highest standards
of behavior in victory and defeat.’ These are emotive words that exaggerate the way sports matches
are carried out. It is clear that Robb paints an idealistic picture of what sports is like to her yet this is
far from reality. Across the globe there are countless instances of athletes falling far below what she
envisions – renowned tennis players angrily smashing their rackets after losing, foul play from the
huge amount of penalty cards in football and more. While her views are too optimistic, it is clear that
the Singapore government places huge importance on sports as they seek to nurture people with
the very character that Robb somehow sees in all athletes. Annually, the ministry of education holds
the national school games for schools across Singapore. Beyond sporting achievement it rewards
those who have shown sportsmanship through its Colors award. Furthermore, the direct school
admission scheme through sporting achievement also shows how sports can enable one to acquire
top-notch education in schools. Hence, sports are important in Singapore and to many parties – the
government and parents. (Im not sure how to give another context here?)
In passage 2 paragraph 3 Benjamin asserts that there is an increase in doping where many athletes
use it to ‘gain an unfair advantage’ for the sake of winning competitions. I agree with Benjamin’s
views as there has been an increase in doping cases during high level competitions , particularly the
Olympics where even countries such as Russia have been banned. His views are accurate and
capture how tainted the reality of the sporting world actually is. In Singapore however, Benjamin’s
views are not very applicable as there have not been many cases of people doping or acting unfairly
in order to get ahead of competitions. Most athletes such as Joseph Schooling train tirelessly and do
not resort to underhanded measures. (Im not sure how to link it to the 2nd part of the qn on how
important sport is for me and my society since the evidence Is on doping and getting ahead in unfair
ways?) does this just mean that the evidence I chose is weak or is there a way to make it applicable
while showing 2 context?
In conclusion, I believe that Benjamin’s views are more nuanced as he understands that sports has
both benefits and drawbacks. Kate on the other hand has a very narrow view on sports and unfairly
inflates its advantages.
